City Love Companions

Modern globetrotters have a bucket list of things they’d like to experience. Taking the Trans-Siberian is often one of them. I can get behind that; it’s super romantic, isn’t it? Riding a train from Moscow to Vladivostok alongside your significant other or a group of friends. The journey is over nine thousand kilometres long from west to east. Imagine the things you get to see through a train window. Endless steppes, all the obscure Russian, Mongolian, and Chinese landscapes: it’s a real adventure. My uncle painted a different picture when he told me about his first-hand experience. He used to be a chef on TSS Stefan Batory in the 70s. The Batory was an ocean liner between Gdynia and New York, a bit like a budget Titanic. I’m not sure how uncle ended up on the Trans-Siberian, sin...

Yekaterinburg (alternatively sometimes also named Ekaterinburg) blows my mind. You never hear anyone saying “I’m so excited for my Yekaterinburg vacation, I can’t wait”. But there are more people than you would expect who visit this city willingly. You have people sent there for business by their companies. Locals struck by nostalgia. Those weirdoes who travel to remote places looking for god-knows-what. Most of them are pleasantly surprised by how cool this city is. It’s like New York, but in the middle of nowhere. It’s the largest city/capital of the Ural region. The Ural Mountains are that giant range that separates the “civilized Russia” from the rest of Russia. They’re also considered the border between Europe and Asia. Doesn’t sound like that great of a place to s...

Sochi gained international popularity thanks to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Truth is, it has always been a major destination for the Russians. It’s the country’s only large beach resort. Sochi is huge and there’s much more to it than rocky beaches. The climate in this region is unique. You can take a bath in the Black Sea or one of many pools, or hike in the mountains. The Eagle Rocks is an example of a trail with amazing views. There’s a sort of a monastery tower you can climb and watch Sochi from a different perspectives. They say the tower is haunted. The mountain area is a very mystical place. Some people believe that this is where Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock. The Dolmens are a particularly interesting thing around the coast of the Black Sea. They are eerie, stone structure...

St. Petersburg is the forward thinking “second capital” of Russia. Its citizens think of themselves as Europeans and reach out to the world, instead of secluding themselves and shaking their fists at it like their inland comrades. This city has been bullied by the 20th century and received treatment that it largely did not deserve. St. Petersburg, tenderly called “Piter” by its inhabitants, has been bombed, starved, occupied, and underwent all sorts of torture but none of it broke its spirit. Then the mafia got its paws on it, due to neglect from the side of the Soviet government. Fortunately, the 90s heralded a new era for this extraordinary metropolis. It was free to get back on its feet and regain something that it might’ve lost along the way. My all-time favourite Russian au...

At first sight Russia often comes off as a very cold and stern country; the weather, language, even the comedic accent that actors use in movies adds to this image. When I was a kid I thought everyone there walks around in a military uniform while listening to Alexandrov Choir cassettes on their Walkman. I couldn’t have been further from the truth…for the most part. Russia and Moscow, in particular, are the best example of the “old meets new” vibe. You can go see the famous Nutcracker, have a dinner at posh, modern fusion restaurants, visit an art gallery and go for a few drinks at a bohemian club. And all this you can do within walking distance from the Kremlin. Moscow is a city of literature, progress, and some might even add oppression, violence, and conquest. The undeniable fac...